Sewn binding

Are you self-publishing your novel? Are you crafting a standout business catalogue? Sewn binding is the way to go. Transform your hard work into a premium publication that brings your ideas and products on paper with style and durability.

Elevate the look of your books and catalogues with our professional and refined binding process. Each folded sheet is carefully sewn together, ensuring the pages stay perfectly secure and intact. The thread used is white and gives the book a traditional and polished touch, being widely used for premium and high-quality novel editions. The internal pages are then glued to the cover spine, which can be paperback, hardback or with flaps.

For a long-lasting catalogue, a durable publication or if you want your book to simply have a very special look, sewn binding is the best choice.

• Closed format: first, select the closed format of your publication through a range of 4 standard formats or enter a custom format ranging from a minimum of 12.1 x 21.1 cm (portrait) or 21.1 x 12 cm (landscape) to a maximum of 29.7 x 21 cm

• Orientation: figure your printed book closed and then select the vertical or horizontal layout. The binding is always made on the left side of the closed format. In case your publication is right to left script (RTL languages), create the graphics accordingly, putting your contents from the end to the beginning

• Number of pages: insert the total number of pages (it must be minimum 32 and a multiple of 4) including the cover (4 pages). Example: if you have 80 inside pages, the total number of pages must be 84, as the cover always counts as 4 (if you don’t want to print the inside cover or if you’ve chosen the hardcover with non-printable inside cover, remember that white pages still count in the configuration)

• Cover: we offer you three cover type:

• Laminated paperback: printed on 300 gsm laminated paper, choose between matt or gloss effect. You can print the front and back, as well as the inside front and inside back. If you don’t need any content on the inside cover, just add blank pages. As explained in the instructions provided, the internal spine can’t be printed to ensure the adhesion of the inside pages to the cover

• Laminated with flaps: printed on 300 gsm laminated paper, choose between matt or gloss effect. You can customise the flap dimension from 10 cm up (maximum size depending on the format selected). Both flaps have the same dimensions and can be printed front and back as the whole cover

• Case binding: consists of a 2.5 mm thick cardboard core covered with 170 gsm coated paper, choose between matt or gloss effect. Please note that hardback books always present non-customisable endpapers, made of white uncoated paper. These consist of a double-size sheet folded: one half is pasted against the inside cover and the other half serves as the first free page before your graphics. Same for the inside back cover

Do you want to learn more about these cover types? Have a look here.

The spine dimension will automatically be displayed at the end of the quote once you’ve selected the paper type and grammage: consider this information when creating the cover’s graphics (find detailed information in the instructions document available on the product page). The template is updated following the quote details: download it and find the spine already marked.

• Paper: for the internal pages, choose between matt, gloss or uncoated paper and select the grammage that best suits your needs from the ones available. Please note that it is not possible to print the inside pages in very high grammages. For a deep dive into our papers’ world, check this article

• Click on the the "i" icon for detailed descriptions of the papers (with pictures)

• If you’re looking for a special effect for your book’s cover, please consider Special finish perfect binding, which gives you the chance to highlight the most important elements of the external cover, including the spine, with 3D varnish, gold or silver foil. At the moment we don’t provide special finishes on the sewn binding’s cover

• Complete your book look with a Bookmark, a Sleeve or a Book box

• With Magazoo, your creations find a home in a sturdy, fully customisable honeycomb cardboard magazine rack shaped like an animal. Choose your favourite among a cat, dog, sheep, pig or elephant to set up your stand or point of sale, and enjoy customising your design with Designer. You can choose from a wide range of backgrounds and images that will help you create your creative project in just a few clicks!

• Thanks to the design upload and preview service, you can upload your file in just a few seconds and get a print-ready result without any worries. We automatically check your file and fix minor issues for you, while also allowing you to make some adjustments directly online, so you can proceed with printing your sewn binding in complete peace of mind. You can also view a realistic preview of your book as it will be printed and flip through it page by page, just as if you were holding it in your hands. This makes it even easier to review everything and go to print with no surprises. For more information, we recommend reading this article

FAQ

• Is it possible to add a special finish on sewn binding cover?

No, it’s not possible at the moment. Find here all the bindings available with special finish option on the external cover.

• Is it possible to add tabs or dividers within a sewn binding?

No, it’s not possible to add pages with different dimensions or dividers to the product.

However, you have the possibility to design the dividers using different coloured pages inside the internal content of your product. 

• Is it possible to have coloured end papers with the hardback cover?

No, it’s not possible: end papers are white and not printable.

• Are your sewn binding publications printed with offset or digital technology?

We print our full colours sewn bindings with offset technology (starting from 200 copies). The paperback book option, instead, implies black and white printing of the inside pages and is one colour printed through digital technology (suitable for textbooks starting from 10 copies).

• Do you offer black and white printing for books?
   

If the file you upload is only black and white, we’ll print it as it is in CMYK. For sewn Paperback books, the inside pages are mandatorily printed in black only: we only recommend selecting this option for texts, not for printing images (the cover can be printed in CMYK colours).

• Why isn't the spine of my hardcover book glued to the cover?

In high-quality hardcover books, the block of the internal pages is not glued directly to the spine of the cover, but is instead fixed using the endpapers (the blank sheets at the inner edges). This technique allows the book to open easily without strain and ensures greater durability over time. The visible gap between the spine and the cover is therefore a natural characteristic of this binding method, necessary to provide greater flexibility.

• How can I create my design?

At the moment, the Designer tool to create the layout from scratch is not available for this product. However, on the product page, we provide instructions and template to create a print ready file on your own (with a design software). Thanks to the new preview service, you'll still be able to make some minor adjustments to your file before printing.

If you need any help editing or creating your book, have a look at our Design Services. Please note that for this product the design service needs to be purchased directly on the product page and the service quote will automatically be displayed once you have filled in the product features.